GUNS ON POINT : The Fault in our Laws and in Our Education System?

“To the leaders, skeptics and cynics who told us to sit down, stay silent and wait your turn: Welcome to the Revolution.” The world is finally witnessing the outrage that has been kept within for too long. As a part of the ‘March for Our Lives’ movement that is taking shape across the globe, the Washington counterpart, organized by the students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, saw the whole of the US Capital echo ‘NEVER AGAIN’.

The Washington March was largely funded by Oprah Winfrey, George and Amal Clooney among other celebrities.

The face of the movement (which is being called one of the biggest demonstrations in the US Capital since the Vietnam War), were the Stoneman Douglas High students. (Read about Emma Gonzalez’s moment of silence in the rally)

Several celebrities participated in the march. Kim Kardashian West, who joined the rally, accompanied by her husband and daughter, said that new gun laws were “common sense”.

The rally was essentially a platform for those who had tasted the fear, some being survivors themselves; it was a stage for friends and families of people who had lost their dear ones in school and college shootings; children who are “scared” of going to school everyday, uncertain of their fate, constituted a major section of the turn out; and on a wider scale, it was a means for awakening the authorities so they can take act as soon as possible.

THE PROBLEM

The Second Amendment to the US Constitution reads, “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed”. Yes, go ahead, you can judge that for yourself! It is important to note, however, that the right does not prohibit all regulation and was essentially enlisted to ensure the right to self-defence and security against oppression.

HOW FAR IS THE EDUCATION SYSTEM IS RESPONSIBLE ?

It is saddening to see that most of the accused in these school shooting cases are between 15 to 25 years of age.

In the Valentine’s Day Shooting at a high school in Florida in which 17 people lost their lives, the suspect is a 19 year old former student, Nikolas Cruz, who was expelled for ‘unspecified disciplinary reasons’. This isn’t an isolated incident. Time and again, students and former students have been involved in acts of violence in schools.

I am afraid this movement is beyond only gun laws.Gun laws only allow the youngsters to vent out the dissatisfaction and anger that is filled in them.

The cause however seems to have more to do with the anger against the Education System and the hypocrisies in schools. This is perhaps against the judgemental and hypocritical functioning of the formal education system across the globe.

The fact that schools often engage in open labelling, and branding certain students as potential deviants is not something we haven’t seen for ourselves. I do not say that this manner of expressing grievances is correct, for it only scars another group of students, but there is certainly no denying that our education system needs to introspect.

Gun Laws need to be amended. And so does the Education system around the world. Now more than ever!

Summary

Article Name

GUNS ON POINT

Description

Gives a brief on the March for Our Lives movement in USA, against the existing gun laws. It talks about how the Education system is probably responsible for the grievances of the shooters with the system.